Portage quilters welcome refugees with ‘warmth’
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A group of local quilters is helping some of Portage la Prairie’s newest residents survive their first Manitoba winter with a gift of hand-stitched hospitality.
The Portage Learning and Literacy Centre (PLLC) hosted a welcome tea recently at the Prairie Vineyard Church to honour approximately 50 government-assisted refugees who have arrived in the community since June. During the event, the Country Lane Quilters Guild presented 50 handmade charity quilts — one for every member of the arriving families.
Gillian Halmarson, a Resettlement Assistance Program worker at the PLLC, said the donation provides “warmth in every sense of the word.”
“We have a really welcoming community that wants people to know that they are valued here,” Halmarson said. “It will help them settle faster and help them recognize that they belong.”
The newcomers represent a diverse global tapestry, having arrived from countries including the Democratic Republic of Congo, Afghanistan, Syria, Colombia, Sudan, Burma, Nicaragua, Uganda and Eritrea.
The tea included a blessing from local elder Angela Roulette, who spoke about the cultural significance of the gift. Halmarson noted that Roulette drew a “full circle” connection between the quilters’ work and the Indigenous tradition of gifting blankets.
Despite many of the refugees arriving with little to no English, several families and children took to the microphone to offer public thanks.
“We were so impressed and proud of our clients,” Halmarson said. “It was amazing to hear how much they’ve learned in just the short amount of time they’ve been here.”
The PLLC’s resettlement efforts are set to expand further, with 11 more people from Sudan expected to arrive by the end of the month.
The centre continues to seek community volunteers to assist with its ongoing programs. To find out more about volunteer opportunities, you can call PLLC at 204-857-6304 or email info@pllc.ca.
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